Son of the White Fang
by PilotDante
Summary: Bits and pieces are revealed about Kakashi to his close persons after his mission goes baddly wrong... Something that even Tsunade can't heal starts to haunt him...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto..

* * *

The Hidden Rain ninja looked at the man who had just killed him. As his hitai-ate slipped from his bloodied hands he whispered his last words that left his enemy numb. 

" White Fang..."

Kakashi looked at the dead ninja before him and tucked the kunai back to his pouch.

' Baka ninja...' Kakashi thought as old forgotten memories rushed back to his mind.

_...Blood all over the floor, dead man lying there with a broken katana beside him. Sensei yelling Kakashi's name somewhere close. Running to the seven-year-old boy, crouching next to him and taking him away from his father, away from that memory... _

" Are you alright Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's voice broke Kakashi's thoughts and he noticed his genins looking at him with worried expressions on their faces.

" I'm fine Sakura, lets go, our mission is over." Kakashi said and was about to jump to a close branch.

" Kakashi-sensei, who is White Fang?" Naruto's voice reached him and made him stop.

" A very stupid man, who did nothing good in his life." Kakashi said after a while with a strange voice.

Sakura and Sasuke heard pain and anger in his voice and tried to prevent Naruto from asking any further questions, since the subject obviously didn't please their sensei.

" He must have done at least something good. What did he do?" Naruto asked while dodging Sakura's punch and Sasuke's hands.

" Killed himself." Kakashi's reply came with a dull and grey tone.

His genins looked at his back stunned and with their brow's frowned.

This obviously wasn't a good subject to talk about.

" Why did the Rain ninja call you White Fang?" Sakura asked with a whisper.

" Enough with the questions. Lets go." Kakashi said and disappeared into the woods not caring if the three followed or not.

The Genins ran after him and the way back to the village was silent.

* * *

Three days later Sakura, Naruto or Sasuke couldn't find their sensei anywhere.

After visiting Tsunade-sama and asking from her, they finally found out that Kakashi was sick and was in the hospital in quarantine, not having any visitors for a week.

Very suspicious and they didn't believe it.

They had Gai-sensei replacing Kakashi and they sparred with Neji, Tenten and Lee.

After a week with Gai and his youthful students they finally asked Gai where Kakashi was.

Gai looked at them with upset face.

" Ah yes, he's in the hospital for few more days. My poor eternal rival is sick with something unyouthful and dangerous. Or then he is just trying to avoid my youthful decision of our next blooming rivalry contest..." Gai complained with a tragic voice.

" Gai-sensei, who was White Fang?" Sasuke asked suddenly and Gai froze in the middle of his 'good guy pose'.

" Has Kakashi told you about him?" Gai looked surprised and rather shocked.

" He hasn't told us anything important except that, that Fang-guy killed himself and did nothing good." Naruto yelled in frustration.

" That's meanly said about him..." They heard a voice.

" Ero Sennin!" Naruto yelled and pointed an accusing finger towards a man who emerged from the bushes nearby. Everyone remembered that there was a hot spring nearby, so the Sannin's motives were obvious…

" Stop calling me that brat." Jiraiya yelled.

" Jiraiya-sama." Gai greeted and the Sannin nodded.

" White Fang of Konoha did a lot of things in his life that affected your sensei, and he was almost as good as the legendary Sannins." Gai said with a proud tone in his voice and Jiraiya smiled.

" Just almost..." Jiraiya chuckled and held his thumb up.

" But..." Naruto started but then he saw something far more interesting.

" Look." He pointed to the forest line.

A fast shape moved from branch to branch making his way towards the Hokage's building.

It was a man, his clothes were black apart from his white armour and white wolf-shaped Anbu mask on his face. Spiky silver hair gave him away though.

" Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto whispered in disbelief.

" Oh no..." Gai muttered and he and Jiraiya exchanged looks. Kakashi was supposed to be in the hospital…

" Why is Kakashi-sensei dressed in ANBU gear?" Sakura asked and turned to the older men.

" Well... you see... Kakashi takes S-class missions once in a while to..to..." Gai started but then he wondered why did the eternal rival willingly take those suicide missions? He had never really found out.

" It's a habit of his, don't bother asking why, nobody knows for sure. It's probably Kakashi's way to ease something. He has taken more S-class missions than any other jounin." Jiraiya said as he watched the man jump out of sight. Probably to Tsunade's office.

" That suicidal habit began after Yondaime died and Kakashi was left alone... You have to understand that Kakashi has his reasons to seal away his past, away from you, us and especially from himself." Gai said and looked at the genins.

" Everyone of us has a tragic past." Sasuke muttered and Gai looked at the Uchiha smiling sadly.

" Kakashi lost his family few years younger than you lost yours, but at least you had some sort of friends to keep you from falling a part. Not that you are that type which falls apart… Kakashi was feared by most of the villagers, especially after his team..." Gai said, but before he could finish Jiraiya stopped him.

" Gai. Kakashi might want to keep something of that info hidden."

" Then you know about Kakashi's past?" Naruto asked. " Why did the villagers fear him?"

" Because of the blood in his hands... Because he is a genius." Jiraiya saddly said and then pulled Gai with him and started walking with him to the nearest bar. He needed a drink, big one, before the Copy ninja would come and kill him.

" Lets go to sensei's place." Naruto decided and dragged the two other genins with him. (That would be a funny sight… Naruto dragging Sakura and Sasuke, they aren't the type to be dragged around…)

Kakashi didn't open his door and so Naruto went off to his balcony followed by Sasuke and Sakura.

The room was dark, they couldn't see anything but dark spots in the carpet and a bloodied katana leaning to a chair.

" Blood... We shouldn't be here…" Sakura whispered as she saw the carpet.

There was a bone white wolf mask in the table and it was mostly blood red as was the white armour lying on the chair.

The genins were scared half dead when Kakashi opened the balcony door.

" Come in." Kakashi's voice was back to it's calm tone. He seemed a bit dazed though.

Kakashi sat back to his bed as his students carefully entered the room.

Kakashi was untying the white laces covering his legs.

" Sensei, are you hurt?" Sakura's voice came to Kakashi a bit echoing.

" I'll live." Kakashi muttered as he got rid of the blood stained laces and threw them to the floor.

" But..." Sakura whispered as Kakashi turned his face to look at her and they got a good look at him. His face was covered by blood as was his mask, his blood or some other's, even Kakashi wasn't sure.

" I'm fine Sakura, I've been in worse condition than this and survived. And what are you doing here anyway?" Kakashi's voice sounded drained and tired. 'It must be the blood loss,' Kakashi thought to himself.

" We saw you when you came back and decided to see if you're okay." Sasuke said and Kakashi smiled a bit.

" There's a medic kit in the right cupboard, could you bring it to me, Sakura?" Kakashi asked and Sakura got up from where she had been sitting.

" Are sure you're okay sensei?" Naruto asked as he saw a flash of pain in Kakashi's eyes as he reached for the hitai-ate in the table next to him. It wasn't covering his left eye, which left the Sharingan exposed and drained his chakra.

" Yes Naruto. It'll just take some time for me to recover. That's all." Kakashi answered and took the medic kit from Sakura and opened it.

" How did you get yourself hurt so badly?" Sakura asked as Kakashi cleaned and tied up a wound in his left leg.

" Have you ever fought against five high level missing-nins and gotten away with it uninjured?" A grumpy voice asked and Pakkun appeared beside Kakashi and gave him a paper.

" From the Hokage." The little dog added to Kakashi who frowned as he read the note.

" I'm sorry, but I have to go again... Gai will be your sensei for a while." Kakashi said to his genins, who looked at him shocked. Kakashi put on his armour and took the wolf mask from the table.

" But Kakashi-sensei, you are barely able to walk." Sakura yelled as Kakashi walked slowly to the door.

Kakashi put his mask on and looked at the children behind him.

' How naive and innocent they are,' Kakashi thought smiling to himself, ' I never had that luxury.'

" Life of a shinobi is for the village and when the village asks, you go." Kakashi said out loud with a hint of coldness in his voice and Pakkun nodded. He remained on the bed where he had appeared.

" Who are you going after?" The dog asked as Kakashi opened the door. The little dog hadn't read the note.

Kakashi stopped and Pakkun seemed to understand why Kakashi didn't answer. The Uchiha kid might snap, so Kakashi remained silent.

" Finally a lead of him, but you have not recovered from you're previous fight with him. He's too strong for you even though you have the Sharingan..." Pakkun muttered ignoring Kakashi's silence. Pakkun was a bit too blabbering kind of a dog for Kakashi's taste.

Sasuke stared at the dog and Kakashi was gone in a blink of an eye.

" Who are you talking about?" Sasuke asked silently. Sasuke had a pretty good hunch on who's name was left unsaid.

" Your baka brother, he almost killed Kakashi the last time they fought, Kakashi is still injured from that." Pakkun said, it was probably okay now to say it. Pakkun knew that Kakashi didn't like little children begging to be taken with him to possible suicide missions. Sasuke would have asked to get along.

" But how can sensei still be injured?" Sakura asked as she watched Sasuke's temper rise slowly.

" It wasn't anything that can be healed, Itachi has Mangekyo Sharingan. Third level of the mirror wheel eye. He can attack people mentally. Remember? Kakashi was out for a month after his fight with Itachi, so was Sasuke. They were mentally too drained and Tsunade recovered their mental stability with some jutsu." Pakkun explained.

" He can show people their worst nightmares... What did he show Kakashi?" Sasuke asked surprisingly calm. Sasuke still remembered his brother's attack on him few months earlier and knew that he was still too weak to defeat the older Uchiha.

" He didn't talk about it, but I think that he saw the night his life was shattered." Pakkun said quietly as if fearing that Kakashi could hear him.

" What happened?" Naruto asked. He didn't quite understand.

" It's up to Kakashi to tell you, but I can say that the Hatake family lost two geniuses that night. Kakashi has been torn between the past and present ever since." Pakkun said and disappeared in a puff of smoke, Kakashi must have summoned him again.

* * *

A/N: Don't know if this is any good... There's a lot of this story on my computer...should I continue? 


	2. Chapter 2

Three days later Kakashi came back. He was immediately taken to the Hokage.

Tsunade called for the Genins few days later and they were finally able to see Kakashi. He was in his own apartment One Anbu stood in the corner of the room and watched silently behind the owl mask. A long violet ponytail told the genins that the Anbu was a woman.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke saw their sensei lying in the bed sleeping. His face was still partly covered, under his closed eyes were black circles and he looked like a mess altogether.

" He is too far in the past for me to bring him back. He doesn't want to wake." Tsunade said silently leaning to a table. " There is nothing I can do."

" What do you mean Granny-Tsunade? He doesn't want to come back?" Naruto asked frowning.

" Itachi doesn't let him forget. Our Anbu team was able get Kakashi away from the Uchiha, but Itachi must have used the Mangekyo on Kakashi more than once. He's been out almost a week for now, from what we heard from Pakkun." Tsunade said and sighed.

" But you healed Kakashi and Sasuke, why don't you do it again?" Sakura asked concerned.

" I've already made that jutsu, but it's up to him if he wakes. His chakra levels are okay now and there is no danger of coma like last time, but if he doesn't wake soon…" Tsunade said, " it's possible that this time he doesn't wake up at all."

The genins left shocked and disappointed and returned a few days later to see him again. No change.

Tsunade was with Kakashi the whole time in case he woke, or got worse.

The genins were just about to leave on the third visiting time when Tsunade flashed a satisfied smile and told them to wait.

Secondss later a silent cry escaped Kakashi's lips and his genins turned to look at him.

" That's a good sign…" Tsunade muttered.

" What do you mean a good sign?" Naruto half yelled.

" He's beginning to wake, he has been completely silent the whole time." Tsunade said and walked to Kakashi.

" Kakashi? Can you hear me?"

Kakashi's hand grasped Tsunade's wrist and the Anbu in the corner moved, but Tsunade motioned her to stay still.

" Kakashi… You're home now, you're safe." Tsunade talked to the jounin.

Slowly Kakashi opened his eyes. He blinked for a while.

" Father?" Kakashi muttered, but then his eyes were able to focus and he saw Tsunade, he released her hand.

" Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry…" Kakashi coughed, " the mission was unsuccessful…"

" It's alright Kakashi, I shouldn't have sent you…" Tsunade said but Kakashi shook his head tiredly.

" No, there was no other for you to send after him… I still wasn't strong enough." Kakashi muttered.

" Sensei, are you alright?" Sakura asked and Kakashi noticed his genins behind the Hokage. They stood near the door and were looking at him with shocked faces.

" Why are they here?" Kakashi asked turning his gaze to the Sannin.

" Kakashi, they are your team now. You can't keep shutting yourself from everyone." Jiraiya's voice came from the door and he walked in.

" Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi muttered and tried to get up.

" Stay still brat, or I'll make sure you never leave the hospital again." Jiraiya said and sat in a chair by the table. Kakashi leaned back to the pillows but his gaze swept trough the old Sannin's face.

" Ero Sen-" Naruto was about to yell, when a punch landed in his head.

" Let's go, Naruto baka." Sakura said and they left the jounins alone. They obviously had something important to discuss.

" Owl, you can go too." Tsunade said and the Anbu nodded and disappeared.

" Hokage-sama, Itachi had her. She was right there, staring at me, she seemed to be under some jutsu." Kakashi said and Tsunade looked at him shocked.

" So the rumours were true…" Jiraiya muttered.

" She is not there by her own will." Kakashi said tiredly and closed his eyes. Just for a while, he said to himself.

" But where and how did Itachi found her? Even we thought that she was dead." Tsunade said and looked at Kakashi, who didn't answer.

" He's asleep. I'll stay here." Jiraiya said and the Hokage left with a nod.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the late update, school is giving me hard time...

* * *

" How is he, Hokage-sama?" Asuma asked as the Hokage entered the jounin lounge. There were all the shinobis that knew Kakashi well. Gai, Asuma, Kurenai. Iruka and Genma, waiting for news. Good or bad.

" Awake but he will not return to active duty for a while." Tsunade said the jounins looked shocked.

" That'll kill him… Why was he sent to Itachi? You knew that Itachi would use Mangekyo against Kakashi." Genma asked puzzled.

Tsunade sighed and decided that the others should know, so that they could understand.

" For a time we have heard rumours that the Akatsuki has a strong healer nin with them. It was also noted that the healer was a former Leaf shinobi and was kept there by force." Tsunade said and looked at the jounins, who looked puzzled.

" Orochimaru was a member of the organization, could it be Kabuto?" Asuma asked.

" Orochimaru needs him, it coulnd't be… A powerful healer from the Leaf. But who would-" Kurenai started.

" We also thought that she had died during the Kyuubi attack." Tsunade helped and Kurenai looked at the Hokage.

" Do you now understand why I sent Kakashi?" Tsunade asked with an ironic smile on her lips.

" Because he knows the healer well." Asuma said and took a cigarette out of his mouth.

" Are you saying that the youthful healer is Rin?" Gai asked when he realized all that was said.

" Yes. Kakashi confirmed that it was Rin. According to him, Rin didn't recognize him and that must be because of some memory jutsu. We have no idea where Rin has been or how she survived the injuries she got all those years ago, but we have to get her back." Tsunade said and stood up from the chair she was sitting.

" You can go and see Kakashi, but I'm afraid that he will sleep most of the time." Tsunade said and was about to leave, when a puff of smoke appeared by the door.

" Tsunade. Kakashi is having some sort of a nightmare, he doesn't respond to anything." Jiraiya said and both of them disappeared in a flash.

The jounins stood up and followed.

* * *

Kakashi was laying in his bed and only the pained expression and sweat on his face revealed that he was having a bad dream. Suddenly he screamed.

" Kakashi." Tsunade kneeled to his bedside and took a piece of cloth from a bowl that was filled with cold water. She pressed the cloth to Kakashi's forehead.

The other jounins had appeared just as Kakashi screamed and they looked at him in shock.

" What the hell is going on?" Genma snapped and Jiraiya looked at the senbon mouthed ninja. Genma was shocked that powerful jounin like Kakashi was in such a weak and helpless condition. What scared him the most was the fact that this was the first time he had seen Kakashi showing any emotions.

" Kakashi must be somehow still under Itachi's jutsu." The white haired Sannin said.

" It's a long time period jutsu, the effects can hold you years after the battle, no matter how you try to forget." Tsunade said as she made some seals and a green glow appeared in her hand which she pressed on Kakashi's forehead.

" What did Itachi show him?" Kurenai asked in shock.

" Who knows. Perhaps the death of Team Yellow Flash, or something else. You know how he can manipulate time, he could've made Naruto and the others die in Kakashi's mind and add the guilt he already bears, make it look so real that he can't tell if it's genjutsu or not..." Jiraiya said and leaned to look at Kakashi, as he started to relax.

Slowly Kakashi opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a dark room. Then a man with white hair leaning over to him.

" No…" The others heard Kakashi mutter.

Tsunade saw Kakashi eyes grow wider as he looked at Jiraiya. Kakashi tried to move away from the white haired Sannin.

" You can't be here…" Kakashi whispered as his eyes began to focus and the face of the white haired man became clear. But the face Kakashi saw was not Jiraiya's.

" You're dead!" Kakashi screamed and backed away from the man. The jounins looked at him unaware of what he was talking about, shocked that Kakashi was afraid of Jiraiya.

" Kakashi." Tsunade called but the Copy ninja didn't see her. He stared at Jiraiya terrified and scared.

" You died and left me alone. You killed yourself and me along with you all those years ago." Kakashi whispered and his voice was filled with panic and fear.

Jiraiya looked at Kakashi and closed his eyes with a sigh. Tsunade pressed her glowing hand on Kakashi's forehead and the Copy ninja fell asleep instantly.

" What was Kakashi talking about?" Kurenai asked silently and looked at the other jounins, but they looked as surprised as she.

" I'll tell you. Let's go." Jiraiya said and they left Tsunade with Kakashi and appeared in the jounin lounge.

* * *

A/N: This story is going from weird to odd... Hope you like it... 


	4. Chapter 4

The other Jounins got seated as Jiraiya took a sake bottle from the cupboard and poured the liquid in to a glass and took a sip.

" Let's begin. Not many people know this but my last name is Hatake. Kakashi and Tsunade know, the Third knew and Yondaime knew. I'm Kakashi's uncle, in a way, because I'm only Sakumo's half brother." Jiraiya said and took another sip while the jounins stared at him.

" So that's why Kakashi thought you were Sakumo-sama." Genma stated and Jiraiya nodded. None of the present jounins had a clear picture of Hatake Sakumo's face, they had been too young to remember.

" Do you know who found out first that Sakumo had killed himself?" Jiraiya asked and some of jounins shook their heads in confusion.

" It was Yondaime." Asuma whispered.

" Yes, years before team Yellow Flash, he was already teaching Kakashi because Sakumo asked him to. Yondaime was going to pick up Kakashi for ramen one night, but all he found was Sakumo's bloody remains in the study. And a seven year-old Kakashi terrified, trying to wake him up." Jiraiya said and finished the sake in the glass.

Kurenai was speechless. Asuma's cigarette was hanging on his lower lip just about to fall. Genma was playing with his senbon trying to digest everything. Gai was crying and mumbeling something about his poor eternal rival and his unyouthfully robbed childhood.

" So Itachi showed Kakashi the night Sakumo-sama committed seppuku." Asuma said numbingly.

" I was away of Konoha that night and I returned to find my brother disgraced and dead and my nephew completely closed and silent. I never knew that Kakashi was there that night. Yondaime told me just before he sealed the Kyuubi. He said that it had been the first and last time he had seen Kakashi cry, after that incident Kakashi was most likely unable to cry… He asked me to look after Kakashi for him." Jiraiya stated and looked out of the nearby window.

" Kakashi however told me quite clearly that he didn't want my help, it was his way of asking help, yelling and then again remaining silent. I was too much a coward to fullfil that promise I had made to Yondaime. I've stayed away from Konoha just because I didn't want to mess up Kakashi's life any further. If I had been here in the first place, Sakumo might still be alive. I can say that I'm almost glad that the Uchiha from Kakashi's team died and Kakashi adapted part of his personality… That's the reason he hasn't lost it yet." Jiraiya said and got up.

" Jiraiya-sama, have you talked to Ka…" Kurenai started.

" I'll talk with him… someday." Jiraiya said and was gone.

A stunned silence crept in to the loundge.

" Shit." Genma cursed and took the senbon from his mouth and looked at the others. Everyone was quiet and still trying to digest everything.

* * *

Few days after Naruto and his team had seen Kakashi, Naruto was getting restless, as always…

" How is sensei?" Naruto jumped in front of Kakashi's door trying to get in. There was the Anbu woman stopping him.

" You are not allowed to go inside, Uzumaki-san. Hokage-sama is taking care of Hatake-san." The woman said and disappointment crossed over Naruto's face.

He returned to the Bridge where Sakura and Sasuke where waiting for him.

" You're late, where were you?" Sakura asked.

" They won't let me see Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said and Sakura sighed.

" Me either." She said.

" I tried to go from the window but Tsunade-sama kicked me out. Kakashi was apparently sleeping, that's all I heard from her yelling." Sasuke muttered and Naruto looked at him.

" You actually care for sensei?" He asked. A punch landed in his head.

" Of course Sasuke-kun does." Sakura said and smiled at Sasuke, who didn't even flinch.

" So my eternal rival's ever youthful students. What have you done now? You look guilty." A voice said and Gai walked beside them with his team.

Lee gave Sakura his smile and thumbs up pose.

" Gai-sensei. You know Kakashi-sensei. What's wrong with him? We saw him the other day and he seemed fine. Now we can't even see him." Sakura said to the Green Beast of Konoha ignoring his copy genin, who was doing everything to catch her attention.

Gai's happy mood disappeared. The jounins had been with Kakashi for the last days. He was awake and wanted some company.

"I don't know." Gai said and leaned on the railing. He hadn't seen Kakashi today and was planning to visit as soon as possible.

Sasuke looked at the jounin.

" It has something to do with the Mangekyo, right? Otherwise Kakashi-sensei would be up already." Sasuke stated. Gai's team was now interested. They had heard that Kakashi had been on a mission and that they would be training with his team for a while.

Gai looked at Sasuke and nodded.

" Yes, Kakashi is having nightmares." Gai said. The genins looked puzzled. Didn't everyone?

" Every ninja has nightmares about missions and killings, it comes with the job. But in Kakashi's case it's different. His mind is mixing his past in to the nightmares. Itachi knew this would happen and he's toying with Kakashi's memories and sanity. Somehow the jutsu is still effecting Kakashi. After waking up, he can't tell what things happened years ago and what things are genjutsu. He sees his father dead in front of him and we see nothing, his team mates die over and over again, he sees Yondaime falling silently, lifeless after completing the jutsu, he falls forever in Kakashi's mind. He told us about the dreams, wanted us to confirm that what he saw had happened long ago. Some things he told us have never happened." Gai said and the Genins looked shocked from what they heard.

" Once he saw the death of your team. He was responsible for you and he left you to die to complete a mission. The reason why Kakashi's father was disgraced, although he did the exact opposite, he saved his friends, abandoned the mission and Konoha suffered huge losses. Kakashi was actually very scared and confused after that dream and made Tsunade promise not to let you see him. He's afraid that he might hurt you. That's the reason you're kept away from him." Gai sighed and team 7 glanced at each other.

" Kakashi-sensei would never do that." They whispered.

" No, he wouldn't but that is what Itachi makes him believe. I'm afraid that this might be the end of Kakashi as we know him. This is what might break him beyond repair. Tsunade doesn't know what to do and all we can do is watch as Kakashi struggles to stay awake. He is afraid to sleep. I've never seen him so confused." Gai finished.

" I probably shouldn't have told you this, but… Well I'll let Tsunade scold me later." Gai laughed a bit nervously.

" Gai-sensei. Tell Kakashi-sensei that we miss him." Sakura said as Gai started to walk towards Kakashi's apartment.

" I will, you're free to go now." Gai said smiling and left his own team with team 7 to the Bridge.

* * *

" They want you back." Gai said as he stepped into Kakashi's apartment after nodding to the Anbu stationed behind the door.

" Never thought that." Kakashi smiled and got up from the couch he had been laying and reading.

" Are you supposed to be up?" Asuma asked as he walked through the door that Gai had left open.

" Don't tell Tsunade or Jiraiya, they'll shut me to the hospital for the rest of my life." Kakashi laughed.

" Has he spoken to you?" Asuma asked and got settled to the couch.

Kakashi's face went serious. Jiraiya had stopped by the other day.

" Yes."

" Your team was asking about your condition, I told them the truth." Gai said and took a sip of water from a class he had just filled.

" About the dreams? Well they'll reach that point anyway some day." Kakashi said and put the Icha Icha book back in to the shelf. Gai raised his thick eyebrows. ' And I was sure to run at this point.'

" By the way, message from the Hokage." Asuma said lazily as if what he was going to say just popped to his head.

" They have been able to contact Rin, I don't know how, but it seems that she did recognize you, Kakashi. She convinced Inuzuka Tsume to say that she is sorry and that everything is the same as it was, remember underneath the underneath. What ever that means. was able to get close to her cell. Sometimes there's some benefit from Tsume's stealth abilities…" Asuma yawned and lit another cigarette.

Kakashi's head jerked up and he stared at the smoking jounin. He almost dropped the book he was taking from the shelf.

" The same as it was… Underneath…" Kakashi whispered and his eye widened momentarily and a small smile played on his lips.

" Yea, that was all." Asuma said and got up.

" You came all the way here to say that?" Gai yelled in frustration.

" Yea, now I gotta go." Asuma said and waved his hand and walked to the door.

A sly smile crept to Kakashi's face as he balanced the book in his hand but the mask covered the smile as always.

" Is Kurenai waiting?"

Asuma turned to look at him and blinked, Gai started to laugh. Asuma looked so confused.

" Ah, you youthful people. Your love will soon bloom!" Gai yelled with tears in his eyes and Asuma took his chance to sneak out. For a few minutes Gai continued to praise the blooming, ever youthful and powerful love between Kurenai and Asuma.

" He's gone, Gai." Kakashi sighed and continued his reading.

* * *

A/N: ookay... little weird... I don't know if Inuzuka Tsume is good at stealth, but she was the only special jounin I thought good for the job... Don't kill me... 


End file.
